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Surveillance video shows a man stealing about $800 worth of marinated meat from a restaurant on Chicago's North Side. His first attempt doesn't work so well. (Published Friday, Oct 25, 2013)

Updated at 9:07 AM EST on Friday, Oct 25, 2013

Chicago police are looking for a man who stole nearly 400 pounds of marinated meat last month from a restaurant on the city's North Side.

The heist happened around 2 a.m. Sept. 16 in the basement of JK Kabab House, in the 6400 block of North Rockwell Street.

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Restaurant manager Majid Mustafa said someone entered through the alley and slipped through an iron gate to gain entrance to the basement and the walk-in cooler where the restaurant's chef marinates the meat overnight.

Surveillance video from the alley shows the suspect unsuccessfully trying to haul the food away on a bike. He then finds a shopping cart and takes off with the cargo in tow.

"Who knows if he came with the intention of taking the meat," Mustafa said. "He collected everything he wanted to collect."

The meat, which the restaurant purchases daily, is left in spices overnight and gets used the next day.

In all 384 pounds of beef, chicken and lamb were stolen, Mustafa said. It adds up to a loss between $800 and $900, plus revenue lost when the restaurant had to open a few hours late.

Police had released a community alert that week about thefts in the area. It's not clear whether this suspect is connected to the other thefts.